A PHARMACIST who self-supplied prescription medications and altered dispensing records has avoided suspension at a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The tribunal rejected the Pharmacy Board of Australia's call for Min-Ning Annie Ye's registration to be suspended for "at least three months" in relation to incidents of profession misconduct and unsatisfactory professional performance.
In its ruling the Tribunal noted that between Sep 2015 and Dec 2016 Ye had worked in a south west Melbourne pharmacy, and had been overlooked for a promotion, which had been promised prior to going on maternity leave.
The Tribunal noted that Ye had a difficult relationship with the person who was appointed pharmacy manager, worked long hours at the store and a lack of colleagues left her without people she could rely on when sick.
On four separate occasions in Nov 2015 and Jan and Nov 2016, Ye supplied herself with medications to treat illnesses without having a prescription, the Tribunal heard.
In Dec 2016 after a failed effort to resolve tensions between Ye and her manager, the pharmacy owner decided to relocate her to another store, but before she left the pharmacy, she deleted records relating to her self-dispensing.
Ye told the Tribunal she amended the records out of fear of reprisal by the pharmacy manager, who she had reported to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for other issues.
However, the manager reported the incidents of self-supply, alongside dispensing errors Ye had made between Apr and Sep 2016.
Ye admitted to the allegations of self-supply and amending the dispensing records, which amounted to misconduct, while she also accepted the dispensing errors equated to unsatisfactory professional performance.
The Tribunal ruled that Ye, who is currently working in a hosptial setting, would "gain insight by participating in an education course in relation to ethics, with subsequent mentoring".
"The protection of the public is best served in this case by tailoring the conditions of Ye's registration to ensure that she continues to practice in an ethical manner, rather than imposing a period of suspension," the Tribunal panel said.
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